thinking of going to tech school
 

where would the trained mechanics recomend going? ive requested info from Nashville AD and Ohio AD when i was in high school every one came to our auto class and tried to get us to go to thier school.. for some reaso i have a memory of thinking more highly of Ohio. anyway i thought i would just throw that out there.... oh and i was thinking industrial diesel and auto/diesel. Thanks!

I can't help you with the schools but I'm responding to bump this back to the top. Come on folks, this kid needs help. All of you Master Mechanics, how did you get there? How can he get there? Are these schools for real or pie-in-the-sky bull? Good Luck Jackcrac. (Did you ever fix that primer pump?)

Dan

training
 

There is no short cut to being a good mechanic, for a start you need to be born one and you will never be 'well off'' until you own the garage, doing it as a "good idea" is not a good idea, you have to want to work hard and long at it to become good, most 'mechanics' are really 'fitters' with little or no diagnostics skills and very little experience who have worked their way up in a workshop, changing parts over is not being a mechanic! Above all respect age and experience, you can't buy it!

The BEST way to be good is to start at the bottom with a 3 or 4 year apprenticeship (or at least as a garage 'gofer') with day release college to get the certificates required.
having said all that I have employed chaps (and girls) based solely on qualifications, never again, aptitude and natural skills are as important as the right papers.

I started off at a company called Trojan Engineering in Croydon, U.K. working on Lambretta scooters and sweeping the floors and then they let me loose on Alpha McLaren F3 and Can Am group12 alloy racing car chassis and on to Italian 7.5Ltr.V8 Iso Griffo muscle cars. It still took another two years to land a 'proper job' as a motorcycle mechanic in London working 70 to 100 hours a week for about $50 and I then spent 28 years on Honda and then Kawasaki bikes working up to workshop manager, never 'well off' but it kept me and the family with food and a roof over our heads and a couple of decent cars in the drive.
I then realised I was a bit good at electrics as well and developed that side as it was cleaner and paid better resulting in starting my own firm in 1988 fitting audio and car security for retail outlets and clients, now that did pay well, I have now semi retired in Spain at 55 and life is good, but it didn't happen overnight.
Best of luck and if it’s in your blood, you will be good.

Didn't know you are a mechanic. Hope I didn't insult you offering my advice in earlier threads. You obviously know more about cars than I ever could. Since you've been around exotic cars, What do you think of your 16v?

I had a second cousin from back east who went to a diesel college of some kind in Denver I think. He ended up getting a real good job with a fire dept working on their equip. I don't know the name of the place but he said it was the best. Maybe someone else knows.

Mike

Some people may consider what I'm about to present as over-kill, but given the complexity of today's autos, I think not.

BEFORE you go to tech school, find a reputable local junior college. In my area there's one that offers a 2 yr. associate degree in Engineering Technology. 60 semester hours of math, science with emphasis on mechanics/electronics.

Without a solid understanding of these disciplines, you'll be nothing more than the "fitter" described above. A real tech has strong diagnostic skills and he can't acquire those without a solid understanding of physical science.

Get this training FIRST, then go to tech school. This is what made Steve Brotherton and Stu Ritter the techs they are. Both hold undergraduate degrees in a science field. Without it, they wouldn't be where they are.

I agree Mike with your advice. It not only provides the educational background it keeps other, quasi related avenues open should he later decide to change fields. From the many threads I have read on this forum, there are numerous people from so many professions. What are a couple of common threads between them? Advanced education and a love for their Mercedes.